Lands Unknown 13

The house was eerily quiet as Serana sat alone, staring at the walls. The deafening silence was painful, seemingly not caring about how she felt. About what was going through her head and her heart. A loneliness that she hadn't felt in centuries… not since before she was locked away in that tomb, it had filled her completely until she seemed to be filled with emptiness. The door next to her lead to the bedroom… but she dared not enter it. She knew there was nothing she could do and although she expected it to take longer than usual… she now begged for it not to take much longer.

A few hours later she had entered the room, in spite of her dread. As she neared the bed she strangely felt a slight sense of hope as she looked at him. His hair had gotten darker than before and it had stopped growing two weeks ago. She softly stroked it behind his ear and noticed that his hair was now longer than hers. His skin was cold and this caused a few tears to well up in her eyes. That gentle warmth was now gone. His warm body that had laid beside her every night for several years now… that would always make her feel more alive than anything else.. it was now as cold as hers. She could no longer hear his heartbeat. That soft song of life that she would always here when he was near her, it was silenced. It was all silenced by her.

She touched his face and knew it would not take much longer now. She knew it was time to collect the debt the Ka Po Tun owed her. Silently she left the house and like a ghost among men she walked to the palace, ignoring everyone and everything else. She ordered one of the guards to tell the queen to speak to her. He knew better than to question her and quickly walked away, only to come back later to bring her to the queen.

Queen Shazra of Telom waited for her in a small room in a corner of the palace. A few weeks ago she would have expected an explanation from the human that now walked through the doorway. A few weeks ago she would have ordered her to explain herself and demand to know why she, as a foreigner, would 'demand' to speak to the queen. But now, as this 'foreigner' had an aura of death and sorrow around her, she waited for her to speak.

"It is time," Serana spoke after a few moments. "for you to pay the debt you owe us. I said that I would ask something of you in due time… and that time is now. It will only be a few more days now, but Tarrion will wake up soon. You will have to be ready."

The queen nodded, ignoring the insolence and demanding tone a commoner gave a queen, for she knew Serana was not someone to care about those titles right now.

"Then what is it you ask of us?"

"Blood," was the simple answer. "Lots of it. One large bowl filled with blood, and one hundred vials… filled."

The queen stared at Serana for several minutes and clearly could not decide if she heard her wrong or if Serana had gone insane.

"I am sorry… what? You want… my blood?"

"Not just yours," was Serana's stoic answer. "Your generals will have to pay their price as well. As for the one hundred vials… your guards and if necessary your people will have to pay that."

Still trying to grasp the reasoning queen Shazra stood up and sat back down again. "But… I don't understand. Why do you need blood? Does it involve some… ancient ritual? Or blood-magic?"

"We drink it… Tarrion and I."

Shazra felt her stomach turn and felt disgusted. "For… a ritual?"

"No…. just to survive."

The queens mouth now hung wide open and Serana finally sat down. It took a few moments before she said anything, and when she finally did… she had no idea why she was saying anything at all.

"I am not just a human," she started and her red eyes stared at Shazra. "I am two thousand years old. I am this old because I am a Vampire."

There was no shock or surprise in Shazra's eyes when she said that word 'Vampire'. Only confusion.
"I… do not know that word," she answered.

Serana sighed. "It means that I am not alive… and neither am I fully dead. A Vampire is a being that was turned into an undead version of what it once was. We no longer age, since we are undead. To survive we feed on the blood of the living."

Shazra now recoiled and started putting more distance between her and Serana. This would have been amusing, if not for the circumstances.

"You 'eat' other beings?" the queen asked. "Just like the Tsaesci do? You are just like them?"

"No… I am not like them. They are not even close to what I am. I am exceptional amongst Vampires.. but compared to the Tsaesci, I am the Original. But Vampires do not eat other beings. We feed on only the blood, for it is the only thing that can nourish us. For the last few years I have fed on Tarrion… who was willing to give his blood to me."

"You-…. How did he survive you for those years?"

"Careful, Shazra," and Serana's eyes flared. "You have angered me once before… do not do so again. I only fed on Tarrion because he was willing… and he survived because I am old and I can live on only a few drops every day. But now…"

She sighed and she heard herself confirm something she had feared for a long time.

"But now he too is a Vampire and that means I can no longer feed on him. I have turned him a few weeks ago. I said that he was preparing for my lessons… in truth he has become a Vampire like me. He will wake up any day now and when he does… he will be hungry. Very hungry. I do not think you want one of your people to be drained of every drop of blood in their veins, but Tarrion will do just that. Unless we give him something else to feed on. A large bowl filled with blood will be enough to quench his first hunger. After that… he will need a full vial of blood every single day. Over time he will be able to sustain himself for longer… but for now… you and your people need to pay this price if you want our help."

"I did not want this!" Shazra blurted out. "This… this… undead magic is repulsive! We never agreed on this."

"You agreed on accepting the consequences of our help!" Serana said harshly and she stood up. "I told you and your war-council before that there would be a price for you to pay. Here it is. If you do not comply, Tarrion will kill one of your citizens, likely one every day he is not fed… and before you even think of trying to prevent him from doing so, he will be stronger and faster than ever before. But he will be the least of your problems. As I told you before; I will slaughter half of Akavir if anyone tries to take him from me. If you try to kill him… I will burn this entire city to the ground. I offer you a way out of it. Bring your people together, make them shed a bit of blood… and no-one has to die."

Serana's eyes flared at the Ka Po Tun in front of her and although she was much smaller than Shazra, she seemed to fill the entire room.

"You have a way of gaining our help now… and to do that your people only need to give a little bit. If you don't… you think I am a monster? You have no idea what I can be."

"You threaten us," Shazra defended herself, yet less ferocious than before since she still feared Serana's wrath. "Yet you do not sacrifice anything… You have changed him so he can become like you."

Serana calmed and yet her voice became an icy cold. "You… have no idea what I have sacrificed… what we both sacrifice here."

"Like what?"

"I… cannot have children."

Before Serana even realized it she answered Shazra. "My… condition does not allow me to have children. While Tarrion was still human there was still a slight ray of hope that one day I would have a son or a daughter."

Not even noticing that her eyes had gotten wet with tears she lowered her head in defeat. "But now that Tarrion has become like me… the changes of us ever having children has disappeared completely."

Out of all the answers that Shazra thought she would hear, this was not one of them. Her eyes widened and she felt herself shivering, causing her fur to tremble.

She stared at Serana, unable to answer, and Serana took a few steps toward the door.

"I am…. We are willing to sacrifice much. Not for you… we just want to go home," and with those words she left Shazra alone and petrified.

In the small house Serana felt alone again, and it was agonizing. She dropped herself on a chair and wept openly at the horror of what she felt. Unable to control herself she clawed at her own skin, creating small cuts and wounds on her arms, neck and head. She could feel blood dripping from her scalp and she cursed herself again. At her wits end she opened the doors to the bedroom and looked at the bed.

He still lay there motionlessly. His dark hair, now longer than hers, lay around his pale face. Nothing about him showed any sign of life and although she knew it was not the same, she felt a similar dread and pain as when she had looked at him after the battle against her father. Then she knew he was dead, and she had no hope of him ever returning… and yet he returned. He had told one of the gods themselves to shove it and he came back to her. He was willing to abandon Sovngard itself for her.

But she was not sure if that was still what would happen. As a Vampire, would he still be able to go there? Would she be able to be there with him? Would they accept a Creature of the Night? A Rovaan Vulon? A Daughter of Coldharbour?

Nothing and no-one answered her and she kneeled beside him, placing her head on his cold chest. There was no warmth now to meet her. No soft beating of his heart to end the silence. No gentle touch from his hand on her cheek and no smile to tell her it would be alright.

".. wake up…" she whispered, barely audible. "Please, Tarrion… don't leave me alone any longer… wake up."

She could almost hear his voice say 'as you wish' and she could almost feel his arm wrapping around her and holding her close… just like he did last time. She knew she only imagined it and when she looked up she saw he had not moved. Now almost clawing at his skin, she touched his chest, her nails creating small dimples in his skin.

She lay there for hours, until from pure exhaustion she fell asleep, still weeping for her love who lay next to her… motionless.

She woke up from a knock on the door. At first she thought she imagined it, yet after a few moments a few more knocks were heard. In a trance she walked out of the bedroom and opened the door. There she was surprised by what she saw.

Queen Shazra stood in front of her and a small crowd was gathered behind her. All the Ka Po Tun from the war-council were present as were a large number of guards. Shazra was not wearing royal robes, yet plain clothes and she had lowered her head.

Before Serana could ask why they were here, Shazra spoke and her voice was humble. "We are here to pay our debt," she said. "And to apologize for our hesitancy."

Serana saw that a few guards were carrying a large, stone bowl and a few others a stone pedestal. She understood why they were here and she let them in, not showing gratitude as she was too tired to do so.

The guards placed the pedestal in the bedroom and the stone bowl on top of it. A few of them took a few quick glances at Tarrion, yet out of respect they did not stare or ask questions. Not even Shazra asked Serana anything or made any remarks, and instead grabbed a knife as she held her arm over the bowl. The others followed her example and waited for their queen to make the first move.

There was something strange about Shazra and Serana noticed it as she slit her own wrist without hesitation. A new resolve was in her eyes and in how she showed no pain as her blood flowed from her wrist into the bowl. The others followed her example and Serana could smell the room being filled with the scent of blood. It did not smell as good as normal, human blood… yet it was blood nonetheless. It made her thirsty and a small part of her wanted to drink, yet she held back knowing that this was not for her.

After Shazra and her council had shed as much blood as they were willing, the guards stepped forward and all slit their own wrists. The bowl filled itself further and further now that almost twenty Ka Po Tun had given what they could. Shazra carefully walked toward Serana and whispered to her.

"I only told them enough… not everything," and promised that the remainder of the debt, the one hundred vials, would follow soon.

The next day Shazra kept her word and one hundred vials filled with blood were delivered to Serana, who stored them in a separate room of the house. She took a small sip from one of them, both to nourish herself and to taste it. Once she would have said it tasted good… but after several years of drinking no-ones blood but Tarrion's… it tasted like puddle-water after a finely-aged wine and she hated the taste even more.

After another six days of waiting, in the middle of the night, she heard noises coming from the bedroom. First they were moans followed by panting and then silence. She heard a few unsettling sounds of slurping and she knew Tarrion had woken up and now drank is fill from the bowl of blood. She had made sure it was kept warm, placing candles under the stone to warm it and keep its contents in good condition. Opening the door she saw a sight she knew she would not like… yet that knowledge did not make it any easier.

Tarrion stood next to the bowl, his hands grasping the edges and his face was covered with blood. His body was still naked after those weeks of motionlessness and the blood of twenty Ka Po Tun now ran down his throat and chest. He had first drank the blood like an animal, slurping it up with his tongue, but when he started to come to his senses bit by bit, he switched to his hands, bringing it to his mouth and drinking his fill. He did not even notice Serana standing in the doorway, and when he finally did he gave her two glances and continued drinking. Serana felt unsettled for she knew she would have looked like him when she was turned… only she had killed a man and drained him of every drop.

It took him almost an hour to empty the bowl and drink his fill. He licked his fingers for a time and only when Serana said his name did he snap back to reality.

"Tarrion," she softly said and he woke up from a trance.

He stared at his hands, stained with blood and he felt it dripping from his chin. The floor around the bowl was stained and he stared at what he had become. Serana walked toward him and he took an instinctive step backwards… but then recollected himself. His face changed and he sighed as he looked away.

"How do you feel?"

He did not answer for a short while. "I… I dreamt," he said eventually. "I was in a forest. I... I was looking for you. The trees were black and blurry and I could hear voices calling out to me. 'Tarrion…. Tarrion'. I heard your voice, but I could not find you. When I finally saw you, you disappeared and there was blood everywhere… and I…" his voice trembled and he hesitated. "I feared I had done the unthinkable. But then I heard your voice again calling out to me… and here you are."

He looked at her, relieved that his nightmare was not reality, and a bloodstained smile that did not suite him appeared on his face. "I still love you, Serana."

She was almost unable to answer his smile, but she forced herself to do so and she nodded. "How do you feel?" she asked again.

He sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. I feel something I have never felt before." He looked around and his tongue touched his fangs. Serana seemed different now, although he knew it was because of him. Lights were different, brighter, yet none were blinding, almost like his eyes adjusted themselves to each individual source of light. The bloodstains on the floor were more visible than the rest of the room, and this seemed strange to him. "I feel…. I do not know what I feel, but I am alright," he concluded.

"Good," Serana said relieved.

"For how long was I asleep?"

"Almost a month."

"A month?" he said with shock. "I… I thought you said this would be quick."

Serana nodded. "I know… but it seems your wolf-blood fought harder than I thought. A normal human would transform quite quickly… a week or two at the most… but the wolf in you fought harder than expected. I am… sorry I did not tell you."

"No," he said and he walked towards her. "I am sorry for leaving you alone for a month. I am sorry you had to do this."
But she shook her head and took his hands. "We both knew what was at stake. And we both accepted the price. Now.. let us focus on why we made this sacrifice… and let us go home."

Hours later, after Tarrion had cleaned himself up and put on his clothes they left to talk to Shazra about the plan to infiltrate one of the Tsaesci cities. The sun had not risen yet and Tarrion looked around to see this new world he had never seen before.

Everything was crystal clear for him, even in the darkness. He saw colours he had not seen before and found himself in awe of this new beauty he never imagined. Under other circumstances he knew he would have enjoyed what he saw and he would have stopped and shared his moment with Serana… but that time was not now. He knew they had both paid a terrible price and they now wanted to reach their end goal as soon as possible. And so he walked next to Serana to the palace.

Shazra was awake and did everything she could to avoid eye contact with both of them. She gave them a map and told them to hurry. The forces that Tosh Raka had gathered were on their way to the capital of the Tsaesci and they would have to travel fast to make use of the distraction he would create.

She was honest with what they knew of the city. "I don't know where the port is, but you will receive more information when you near the city. Scouts have made camp near the city and they have made a plan. Likely it is best if you create a second distraction inside the city. One should disable the wharfs while the other creates a distraction to lure everyone away. A big fire should do. Their vision lets them see warmth so a large fire would disrupt them more than sounds of fighting."

After these last pieces of advice Serana and Tarrion left for their home again yet as soon as Tarrion stepped outside he recoiled.

"Ahh!"

He quickly jumped back inside and into the shadows of the walls. The sun had come up and burned Tarrion's face as soon as he stepped outside. Serana nodded and it pained her to see him this way. She walked towards him and held out her hand and placed her ring in the palm.

"Here… put this on."

Tarrion understood it and shook his head. "No… I gave this to you-.."

"And I give it to you now," she interrupted him. "You need it more than I do."

"I will manage," he tried yet she interrupted him again.

"No you won't. you are not as resilient as I am. I will not be killed by the sun, it will be an annoyance at most. But you will not survive being exposed for long. Take it. Let me help you."

Tarrion looked into her eyes and saw a desperation he had seen before and he lowered his head. "Your fingers are…. It won't fit on mine."

Ignoring this poor excuse, she cast a small Alteration spell and the ring was now large enough to fit his fingers and she put it on him.

They both stepped back outside and Tarrion felt nothing. The sun did not harm him anymore and although it still blinded him he was able to see his surroundings. But Serana felt the burning heat of the sun on her skin once again. After years of being freed of this feeling she was again plagued by it and she remembered how much she once loved Tarrion for giving her that ring. A tear welled up in her eyes as she remembered it and they both walked back to their home as the city started to wake up. Their plan was to leave as soon as the sun would go down and they still had a bit of packing to do. Food or water were of no concern to them any longer, yet they had to bring the vials with them.

As they walked to their home they saw the first people wake up and many of them seemed to be healers who all rushed to the palace. Serana imagined Shazra had put them to work as they had to take care of the people who had given their blood.

When the night fell and the city slept a door was opened and two humans left their home, both carrying a backpack. At the city gates the guards let them pass while throwing nervous gazes at the two. At the outer wall the gate was already opened before they arrived and they walked through without a word. As soon as they left the safety of the walls the gate was closed and sealed behind them. They took one last look behind them before they continued. Serana saw a deep uncertainty on Tarrion's face and she took his hand, making sure he knew she would be with him all the way through. He smiled kindly at her and squeezed her hand slightly as they both stepped into the forest.

It would take almost two months before they would reach the city of Shae'Shem and in that time Serana thought it good for Tarrion to hone his new skills and abilities. Every morning Tarrion would drink one vial empty and Serana would take a small sip once every few days. Every time she did she hated it and felt like she was betraying Tarrion. She did not tell him this, yet he saw in her that she hated their current situation.

"One of the first things you should learn is to become one with the shadows," she said to him to change the subject of her thoughts. "This is a difficult skill to master, yet I think it would fee similar to becoming ethereal. You know that Shout and I would suspect they are similar. Try it."

It took Tarrion less than a week to master it and he noticed that it indeed felt similar to the Shout. During the night he would know how to become completely invisible so that even Serana could not say where he was, and she would smile proudly, if only for a few moments.

"A different skill you should learn is transforming. I highly doubt you will be able to take on the form of a Vampire Lord, since you are not Pure Blooded, but you should have the ability to turn into a cloud of mist and bats. This is useful for a quick escape and even for longer distances of flight."

This was something that Tarrion could not master, yet in the brief time he trained he was able to transform for a few moments. Every time he did so he felt wrong. His body was in multiple places at once and he had become a presence between them. He could not feel the bats and their wings, yet they instinctively followed his thoughts and wishes… yet as soon as they did, Tarrion would try to walk as he had always done and his body would revert back to human form. Serana nodded at him and said it was only useful, not essential, and it was indeed a difficult skill to master.

Tarrion did notice that his reflexes and movement had gotten quicker than ever before. He was not sure if he felt stronger than before, but definitely faster. Sometimes it almost felt like time was slowing down without him willing it when Serana would lunge at him to test his reflexes. He would see her hand coming and dodge it without effort, only to be taken down by the second strike. He would land on the ground with a smiling Serana standing over him.

"You're fast," she would say. "but not that fast."

These were the few moments when he would see her smile again, and he would try and let those moments last for as long as possible. His Vampirism had pained her more than he realized, and he doubted he would ever fully understand. He would sometimes say kind words to her and she would acknowledge them and return hem… yet he still saw a deep pain in her that could only be cured in one way… a way that seemed impossible now.

After weeks of travelling they arrived at a small camp that the Ka Po Tun had set up as a base. A few of the Tang Mo were there as well to help in any way they could. As soon as the two entered camp everyone fell silent. All looked at the two humans, not in surprise or interest, but almost with fear. It seemed they had an aura of dread around them and event he Ka Po Tun guards, who were all at least three times bigger than either of them, would recoil when they approached.

The Tang Mo leader explained their situation and one of his subordinates translated.

"It seemed the Tsaesci have not noticed us just yet. They have noticed the large army Tosh Raka has gathered. We saw a large force of Tsaesci heading north and only half of their forces remain. This is likely because they do not know it is Tosh Raka himself leading the Ka Po Tun… if they did, they would send everyone."

"What is your plan for now?" Tarrion asked and the Tang Mo leader showed a map of the city they were about to infiltrate. It seemed the city was made up of three main areas, and Tarrion was surprised by how small the city looked. It was still larger than Windhelm, yet if this was one of the largest cities of the Tsaesci, it was relatively small. A lower area built next to the sea with high cliffs. A second ring built on those cliffs was by far the largest area. The third and final are seemed to be some form of fortress with thick walls and high towers.

"You have to understand that this city is not like the cities of the Tang Mo or the Ka Po Tun," the Tang Mo explained further. "Their cities are almost all built on cliff sides and rocky spires. This city is no different. The only flat areas of the city are all the way on the bottom. The roads and pathways are narrow and built high in the air or on the mountainsides and if you fall, you will fall to your death. The largest of the rocky spires houses the main castle and palace, which, again, is built more upwards than sideways."

Tarrion nodded and he understood why the city seemed small, it was built inside the rocks and the buildings were built above and below each other. He was not sure if this would be a problem, but it meant a lot of climbing. He looked at Serana who seemed to think the same, but she did not seem worried.

The Tang Mo leader continued. "It would seem the shipyard is the lower ring of the city, on the far northern side where there is a large bay. Their port would be on the south side of the city… a good place to start a distraction."

"Are you sure?" Serana asked and she looked at the map. "The bay seems a more logical place for a port than a wharf."

"We are certain," the leader said and he gave her a sideways glance. "We have been at war with the Tsaesci for generations… we know what we are doing," and he looked at the map again. "It is best that we split up into two groups. One creates a distraction at the port, while the other group disables the shipyard."

"What kind of distraction?" Tarrion asked and the Tang Mo smiled.

"A really big fire made from their ships should do the trick."

After the last few details were discussed and all agreed to meet each other in the camp after they accomplished their task, all set out. For now they would still be together, since the city was at least half a day's walk away, and while they encountered no Tsaesci, Tarrion was not sure about the plan. He felt a sense of unease come over him and when he told Serana about it, she agreed. There were too many unknowns for this to go smoothly. Why would the shipyard and not the port be in a bay? Would they not be discovered with both Tang Mo and Ka Po Tun vulnerable to the senses of the Tsaesci? And why were there no Tsaesci patrolling the jungle outside the city itself? A few scouts should be there just in case a secondary attack would be launched against this city. Would the Tsaesci really be so taken by surprise with the return of Tosh Raka or were they all about to walk into a trap?

=End of Chapter=

=Author's Notes=

Find out next time:)

But that is it for this chapter… it took me a bit longer than I hoped, but I had a number of other things to do as well. I will still try to publish at least one chapter each month, hopefully two, but I will see how far I get.

Next time we will infiltrate the city and see what the Tsaesci have planned. Will they all get out in one piece? Who knows….

Also, as you may have noticed, I have decided to limit Tarrion's powers and abilities as a Vampire. It seems he will not be able to transform into a Vampire Lord, since that power may be reserved for only Pure Blooded Vampires… Maybe.

As always you can leave a review if you liked it… or if you didn't like it and you spotted a few mistakes. I'm always happy to hear suggestions.

Till next time.

PS: The city of the Tsaesci is built inside and on top of large rocky spires, almost like pillars or columns. I imagined it to be similar to the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in China.